February 5, 2014 In Herbal Research

Featured articles

One of the most interesting concepts in herbalism is that of “herbal energetics,” i.e., assigning to different herbs various actions that are too complex to explain in regular physiological terms. While there are multiple theories of herbal energetics, perhaps the most popular and renowned is the one used in the traditional Chinese medical system. In one of the most recent articles, Chinese scientists went to great lengths to try to explain the “hot” and “cold” actions of herbs in the traditional Chinese energetics meaning in the terms of molecular pathways they are affecting (Abstract). Also of note in today’s update is the research on pharmacokinetic interactions of different components of Abelmoschus manihot corolla, known in Chinese medicine as huang shu kui hua, as well as evidence of interactions of compounds in a typical Chinese formula:

Review

Clinical Trials

“Freshol” (a herbal mouthwash): equal to or more effective than chlorhexidine in reducing the salivary Streptococcus mutans count, improving plaque and gingival status, in children (Abstract, Free full text)

Silymarin in the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (fatty liver disease): after 8 weeks of treatment, the patients’ hepatic enzymes levels were significantly reduced, compared to the control group (Abstract, Free full text)

Ethnobotany

Individual Botanicals

Fucus vesiculosus (bladderwrack), Laminaria japonica (kelp): identified as two of the most potent inhibitors of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)-A, one of the putative targets for the treatment of advanced cancers (Abstract, Free full text)

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